Roper looking
at overseas options
No matter what happens in the future, Christen Roper will always have her Sacramento Monarchs jersey.
The all-time blocks leader at the University of Hawaii was released by Sacramento of the WNBA last Friday, and is exploring options to play overseas.
The 6-foot-5 Roper signed a free-agent contract with the Monarchs late last month, and practiced with the team for several weeks, although she didn't get to play in either of Sacramento's two exhibition games.
"I sat on the bench and wore a game jersey," said Roper, who was one of 19 players in camp competing for 11 roster spots.
The WNBA regular season starts today.
"Now my agent is trying to figure out the interest in me," Roper said yesterday from her California home. "I'm (taking) a vacation, hopefully something will come out soon.
"The chances are extremely small right now (in the WNBA) because of the dispersal draft."
Two teams folded during the offseason, meaning even veterans were having trouble finding roster spots. Sacramento even released center Kara Wolters -- who played on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.
Roper, 22, said there are options to play in leagues in New Zealand and Korea.
"Most countries have winter leagues, not summer leagues, except for the U.S., New Zealand and Korea," she said. "Wherever I go it'll be new and different. I'll just wait and see what interest is out there in me.
"I'll wait, stay in shape, work out."
The Ojai, Calif., native finished her four-year UH career in March. She holds the school and Western Athletic Conference records for blocked shots (303). She averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds to go with 110 blocks her senior year.
Even though Roper didn't get to play in either of Sacramento's two exhibition games, she gained a lot from professional practices.
"It was very good, a lot of fun and a lot of hard work," she said. "The organization of the practices was about the same (as Vince Goo's practices at UH), except the intensity was higher.
"For water breaks in college you ran to the water, there you kind of walked over and sat down and listened to the coaches talk."
Roper is on schedule to earn her degree in secondary education this fall.
She was trying to become the second Rainbow Wahine to play in the WNBA. Judy Mosley was selected by Sacramento in the league's inaugural draft in 1997 and played for the Monarchs and the Los Angeles Sparks.